


Seeking Solace in the Storm

by Zephyr713



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Future Fic, George the gorilla, Gus Guerin-Manes, M/M, Malex, Ruby the beagle, brief allusions to past child abuse/neglect, oc child - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-03-29 15:26:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19022680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zephyr713/pseuds/Zephyr713
Summary: Alex and Michaels’ recently adopted foster son doesn’t like thunderstorms. Snuggles with his new dads, a beagle, and a stuffed gorilla ensue.





	1. Stormy Snuggles

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to my first fanfic ever. I have been a long time reader of the works on this site, with my most recent obsession being the Roswell NM and specifically Malex fandom. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy reading everyone else's fanfics. ~ Shay

“Papa?”

Alex blinked his eyes open quickly, suddenly alert when moments ago he had been sound asleep. He became aware of the sound of heavy rain pounding on the roof and gusting wind shaking the windows slightly. Peering through the dark of the bedroom, his eyes soon fixed on the small face that was peeking through the crack in the door that led out to the hallway.

“Gus? What are you doing up?” 

A sudden bright flash lit up the room, followed almost immediately by a deep boom of thunder. Gus yelped, his body shuddering harshly as he clung even more firmly to the stuffed gorilla he had pressed against his chest. A few seconds later, he had crossed the distance between the door and Alex’s side of the bed. Rolling onto his side to face him, Alex reached out a hand to rest comfortingly on Gus’ shoulder. 

“Did the storm wake you?” Alex asked quietly, cognizant of the sound of Michael’s deep breathing behind him. His husband could sleep through anything! Alex chuckled internally. Gus nodded solemnly in confirmation.

“Is the thunder scary?” Alex asked the question gently. Even though Gus had been fostered with them for a year and had recently become an official member of the Guerin-Manes family, the six-year-old could still be nervous about expressing his feelings at times. Alex and Michael both knew from experience how difficult it was to trust adults to take care of you when so many had failed to do so. And though it broke their hearts, they knew that Gus had not been well looked after by the adults in his previous living arrangements.

Gus shook his head. “George is scared,” he mumbled around his thumb, which had taken up residence in his mouth. At the same time his eyes glanced down at the stuffed gorilla, George, that he still had clutched to his chest with his other arm. 

“Well then,” Alex said with a small smile, “we can’t have that. Why don’t you jump up here with me and you, Daddy, and I can protect him from the thunder.” Gus nodded eagerly and Alex started to pull the covers back for him. Glancing down, his smile broadened.

“Look, Ruby is here to help keep us safe.” Gus looked down at the family beagle who had come to stand next to him. While she had once slept at the base of Alex’s bed (later Alex and Michael’s bed), since Gus had moved in, she had taken to sleeping in his room to watch over him. While Alex sometimes missed her as his constant shadow, who had provided emotional support though some dark times following his last deployment and his separation from Michael, he was happy that Gus now had her as an ever-present companion. Clearly Ruby knew who needed her more now and Alex was more than happy to share with his son.

“Can Ruby sleep in the bed with us too?” Gus asked hopefully.

“Just this once,” Alex responded, with a glance over his shoulder towards Michael. Michael wouldn’t mind too much. The only reason he had insisted on the “no dog in the bed” rule was that he said it interfered with their “alone time”. However, having a six-year-old interfered with that a lot more than Ruby ever had.

Smiling, Gus quickly scrambled up and over Alex into the middle of the bed, fortunately only kneeing Alex in the stomach once. Alex let the blankets fall back down around them. As if she had understood the entire exchange, Ruby quickly followed Gus, launching herself up onto the bed and settling in the middle close to Gus’ feet. 

Another clap of thunder sounded, and Gus whimpered, turning to bury his face into Alex’s neck, George the gorilla pressed between their bodies. Alex soothingly ran his hand up and down Gus’ back over his spaceship pajamas (the irony!) and planted a kiss on the top of his curl-covered head. 

When Gus had first been delivered to their doorstep by the social worker, Alex had been taken aback by how much he looked like how he had always imagined Michael as a child, curly hair running wild. Michael had disagreed, saying that Gus’ dark brown locks and chocolate brown eyes reminded him of Alex. 

“Shhhh,” Alex murmured. “You’re safe. I've got you.” Gus mumbled something unintelligible and burrowed deeper into Alex’s body, hands gripping at the back of Alex’s sleep shirt. There was a reason they sometimes called him ‘Gus the gorilla’. He could definitely hold on tight! And he loved piggy-back rides! 

Alex lay still with Gus in his arms and listened to the storm outside. The rain was beginning to lighten, and the thunder sounded more distant. It was blowing over. Gradually, Gus’ breathing became slower and his grip on Alex relaxed in sleep. Alex raised his head from Gus’ curls and gazed beyond him at Michael, still sleeping peacefully and none the wiser to the storm. Untangling one arm from a now sleeping Gus, Alex reached over and placed his hand on Michael’s arm gently so as not to disturb him. Slowly closing his eyes, Alex took a moment to revel in how fortunate he was to be in bed with his husband, son, dog (and George). Several years ago, he could never have imagined being so happy and so fulfilled by his life. Could not have imagined being so loved and loving so much in return. With this last thought, he allowed himself to slip back to sleep.


	2. The Next Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the storm; a crowded bed, a lesson in taxonomy, and chocolate chip pancakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Self-gratifying fluff to help me survive until next January.

Michael pried his eyes open, blinking a few times to focus them in the early morning light. He turned his head to Alex’s side of the bed slowly, expecting to see his husband’s sleeping face. Instead, he was met by a small, black, fuzzy one, and it took his pre-coffee brain far too long to determine that George the gorilla was sharing his pillow. It was then that Michael registered the two small, cold feet that were pressed up against his upper leg. 

Rolling fulling onto his side, Michael assessed the situation in the bed. Besides George, he had two other additional bedmates who had not been there when he had gone to sleep the night before. Gus lay sprawled on his stomach in the center of the bed between him and Alex, a riot of messy curls and limbs. Ruby, the family beagle, was stationed at the foot of the bed, keeping watch over the scene. Already awake, she eyed Michael with speculation and a hint of expectation, probably wondering how long it would take him to lever himself out of bed and go put out her breakfast.

“Morning girl,” Michael said around a yawn.

Movement from the far side of the bed had him looking over to meet sleep-softened dark brown eyes that were just blinking into wakefulness. Alex, who was on his side facing Michael, gave him a gentle smile and a slightly husky “good morning”.

“Morning,” Michael replied, returning the smile. Mindful of Gus between them, he carefully leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Alex’s mouth, earning him another, wider smile. 

“So, to what do we owe all of the company?” Michael questioned. 

“The storm last night,” Alex responded. “Gus came in around three. According to him, ‘George’ was afraid of the thunder.”

“You should have woken me,” Michael said, a frown forming between his eyes.

Alex smiled and shook his head. “There was no need for both of us to be up in the middle of the night. You know I’ve been a light sleeper since the Air Force.” 

When Michael still looked troubled, Alex reached over and used his thumb to smooth the skin of his forehead. Then he trailed his hand down to cup Michael's stubbly cheek briefly before continuing to finally rest at the back of his skull, massaging gently through the curls until Michael finally relaxed.

Michael reached up to tangle his fingers with Alex’s, bringing his hand to his mouth for a brief kiss before allowing their intertwined digits to rest between them over Gus, who was just starting to stir.

Gus rolled over onto his back and his eyes popped open, fully awake with an energy that Michael envied, especially without caffeine.  
“Morning Daddy!” Gus declared, moving to wrap both his arms and legs tightly around Michael’s body.

“Morning Kiddo!” Michael responded around an armful of Gus. “I didn’t know there were two monkeys in my bed this morning!” Gus pulled back suddenly, disentangling himself from Michael and sitting up in the bed.

“Daddy,” Gus lectured, “George is a gorilla, and gorillas are great apes, not monkeys. If you had said that there were two primates in the bed, that would have been correct.”

“Yeah Daddy,” Alex smirked from behind Gus, “get your taxonomy straight.” 

Michael resisted rolling his eyes and responding that there was nothing straight about him. Instead, he tried to look conciliatory and switched his attention back to Gus, who was still eyeing him with judgement. 

“You’re right,” Michael said. Then, trying not to cringe, “I guess I need to watch that nature documentary again, make sure to get my facts right.” Since Gus had become obsessed with all things Animal Planet and especially gorillas, they had to have watched the primate documentary at least ten times. Granted, he had stopped trying to pay attention after the third time. 

“Ok then,” Michael said, trying to change the subject and save face in the eyes of his six-year-old. “Who’s ready for breakfast?”

“Me!” cried Gus. Ruby snuffled an approval from the end of the bed. Then, “can we have pancakes?”

“It is Saturday,” Michael responded with a smile, “maybe Papa will even let us put chocolate chips in them.”

“Can we Papa, can we?!” Gus exclaimed, turning his big dark eyes on Alex. 

“As long as Daddy’s making them, go for it” Alex smiled fondly at Gus, then caste a slightly exasperated look at Michael, who just smiled back.

“Thanks, love you!” With that, Gus planted a quick kiss on Alex’s cheek and then he was leaping off of the bed accompanied by George, with Ruby hot on his heels as he careened down the hall towards the kitchen.

“I guess I’m off to make pancakes,” said Michael.

“And coffee,” Alex directed.

“And coffee,” Michael parroted back before leaning in for a final kiss that lingered, but only slightly. With that, he leveraged himself out of bed with a groan and headed off to the kitchen, leaving Alex a few minutes of solitary peace to get himself out of bed and put on his prosthetic. 

By the time Michael had reached the kitchen, fed the waiting dog, and started the coffee going, Gus was already rambling off shape requests, many of which went beyond Michael’s artistic abilities with pancake batter. Maybe with a little help from his powers? 

Taking a moment to revel in the fact that he was up way too early on a Saturday morning about to make pancakes for his son and his husband, who he could just hear exiting the bedroom and making his way down the hall, Michael got out the mixing bowl and the ingredients and got to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Also, I may have had a stuffed (life-sized) gorilla named George when I was little, and they may still be living in my mom's garage...


End file.
